The Penis and Vagina Store: Now Issuing Exchanges

G-d has blessed us all with either a penis or a vagina and not both...with the exception of hermaphrodites, whom I normally would address so as not to offend, but they only represent a small percentage of my readership. Historically speaking, these certain bodily accessories were not interchangeable. In other words, you either got penis soup or vagina pie and there was no trading at the lunch table. But more recently, the wonders of medical science have allowed those of us with such a desire, to do some lunchtime trading. To put it in laymen's terms, you can get a doctor to snap off your dinky and make it into a hoo hoo or vice versa.

Now many people look at this as a medical breakthrough and an opportunity for those people who are unhappy with the gender they were born with...and they are entitled to their wrong opinions. But the truth is that this is a medical nightmare and an abomination to the human body. These people who are desiring of a sex change are the one's you hear about who claim to be a man trapped in a woman's body or the other way around. But rather than trying to change their bodies, these people should be seeking intense therapy. The real problem though is not that they are playing G-d or abominating their bodies. Dr. Paul McHugh, a Professor at John Hopkins and expert on the subject puts it best, "to provide a surgical alteration to the body of these unfortunate people was to collaborate with a mental disorder rather than to treat it."

The mental disorder these people suffer from is generally a combination of gender dysphoria and extreme poor self body image. By having their exterior sex organs changed they believe they will be cured of this problem. But unfortunately for them, nothing about changing your body parts actually changes your gender. They are still the same person on the inside; mentally and physically (give or take a few inches). Steven may suddenly have no penis and go by Stephanie now, but he's still Steven on the inside.

Advocates for sex change usually will argue though that gender has been determined by society and is in reality a very malleable thing. In some sense they are right. For instance our expectations and attitudes towards gender are malleable and affected by societal constraints, expectations, and history. These may take a large role in shaping our views on genders. But gender itself, while multi-faceted is actually quite concrete. For instance, what makes a man a man and a woman a woman is more than just a sex organ. Even besides hormones, attitudes, dispositions, and maybe even souls, it really comes down to the very cells that make up the entire body. Each one has certain male or female chromosomes, and these are certainly not going to change when you suddenly snap off or on a twig and berries. It doesn't get any less malleable than that.

It comes as no surprise that studies done by Dr. McHugh show that while the patients that undergo these operations are generally satisfied with the results of the operation, they still exhibit the various psychological problem which accompany their feelings that they were the other sex. They also still show the same difficulties with relationships, emotions, and work. So in other words, these people are not cured under the knife. And while they have now undergone a dangerous and morally questionable procedure, they still have done nothing to address their mental issues. I think it would be similar to transplanting a permanent smile on a depressed person so that when they look at themselves in the mirror they see a smiling happy person, but we know that on the inside they are still a sad clown.

It is interesting to note too the slippery slope that we create here when allowing for one to alter his or her body based on desire alone. Next thing you know and men will be claiming to have multiple penile personality disorder. Patients will exclaim, "It is a perfectly normal thing that I was not born with the correct amount of penises. I have always pictured myself with two and medical science should provide me with what makes me happy. Oh and I always imagined the second one under my chin." Okay now maybe this is a stretch, but that is the idea of a slippery slope. You don't know how far it can slide.

In conclusion, I don't think we should be ostrasizing these people. But conversely I don't think we should be encouraging them to whisk away the very things that make us who we actually are by condoning doing so as normal. Anyway, pie and soup don't really go together anyway.